Split Personality
by IbtiWiptyWoo
Summary: Fluttershy gets strange dreams and thoughts and wants to know what they mean. She seeks out help of her friends, a mysterious fortune teller, and even the Princess. When Twilight gives her a potion that should help her, her mind goes fuzzy and she enters alter-ego mode. But what happens when she can't remember anything she did? HUMANIZED. Rated T for language and drinking.
1. Chapter 1: Elusive Eyes

**Disclaimer: I do not own MLP: FiM. It and the characters belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro. My storyline relies quite a bit on 'On a Cross and Arrow' by Conner Cogwork on FIMFiction. You'd understand this better if you read it before this. In fact it would make no sense to you if you did not read it first.**

**Note: This fic has the MLP characters all HUMANIZED, so I don't use terms like 'everypony', 'hoof', 'mane', 'flank', etc. They wear clothes and everything.**

**Slight Fluttermac and Flutterscotch.**

Split Personality

Chapter One: Elusive Fortunes

The shy girl stood in front of a small, dark blue tent in the middle of town square. It was quite small, but stuck out like a sore thumb: it was of shiny, midnight blue material, and covered with stars and crescent moons in gold and silver. In front of it was a colourful sign that read 'Madame Crescent, friendly neighbourhood gypsy fortune teller. 1 bit per fortune'. It also showed the picture of a crystal ball and two elusive eyes.

Fluttershy frowned. _Elusive._ No, she couldn't think of _them_ now...

The girl took a deep breath and looked determinedly at the tent entrance. She had found advertisements posted all over the town, and had decided she wanted to have her fortune told. The adverts promised help to figure out visions, troubled minds...and dreams.

She had been suffering from the same strange dream for quite some time. Almost a month now, in fact. The dream had been recurring regularly, almost every week. It wasn't a nightmare, or even horror-related, but it was...troubling, to say the least.

Fluttershy released the breath she had been holding and hesitantly entered the tent. The inside was cool and dark, not letting any sunlight in, and dimly lit with a large supply of heavily scented candles. In the middle of the tent were a small round table and two stools. On one sat a woman dressed in a dark blue robe trimmed with gold. Her hair was piled on top of her head and held in place by a headdress that was also a shawl, wrapped around her head—but her blue curls, almost grey now, were still visible, sticking out here and there.. There was a crystal ball which sat upon the table, glinting in the candlelight, a misty substance floating around inside of it. The fortune teller's Cutie Mark, a crystal ball identical to the one on the table, was visible on the palm of her right hand.

Fluttershy stood in front of the table, facing Madame Crescent. "Um, hi," she squeaked. "I'm here for—"

"Yes, yes, Madame Crescent knows, Madame Crescent knows all," the woman interrupted. She spoke with a heavy accent. "Come, come; sit down." Fluttershy obeyed.

"Now, let Madame see. My dear, you are kind, yes?" Her hands were hovering over the crystal, and she was staring at it. "But also shy. Very, very shy."

"Why...yes!" The girl was amazed, although it was obvious that she was shy. But she had tried so hard to seem confident, taking deep breaths and talking openly to strangers, like the fortune teller...she supposed it didn't work.

"And you have five best friends, yes?" Madame Crescent looked up expectantly. Fluttershy nodded. The woman went on, gazing into the swirling mist in the bowl. "Ah, Madame sees now; the Elements of the Harmony! Generosity, honesty, loyalty, laughter, kindness, and magic. Yes, yes. And you, you are kind, my dear. Too kind."

"Oh my," Fluttershy whispered, attempting to hide herself behind her hair. "Should I be less kind, then?"

The fortune-teller almost jumped up in shock. "No, no! This world could do with more kindness. Let Madame see..." The next minute or so she was muttering inaudible words that, even if they were heard, Fluttershy would not understand.

Finally, Madame Crescent looked Fluttershy deeply in the eye. "You, my dear, have yet to know yourself. Future...is very strange. You are meeting...yourself. Your friends are as well will meet themselves. Meeting each other's selves."

"...What?" Fluttershy asked, confused. "How is that possible?"

Madame looked up from her crystal ball and dropped her wrinkled hands on the table. "My dear, Madame Crescent sees what she is shown, no more, no less. That will be one bit."

Fluttershy took her purse and quickly retrieved a bit, putting it on the table with such haste that it clattered on the wooden top. She stood up, muttered a 'thank you' and left quickly without looking back. Setting course for her cottage, she roamed the half-empty streets of Ponyville. The afternoon sun was starting to set, and most of the shops were already closing. She hadn't realized it had gotten this late.

Fluttershy tightened her jacket around her and looked down at her feet. _Autumn is such a lonely, cold, rainy season. And, _she thought, sighing, _it's going to be winter in a few months, and I will have to say good-bye to all my animal friends when they hibernate._

Fluttershy studied her feet as she walked. Maybe she should get new shoes—her flats were old and not very practical for the oncoming weather. She _did_ have another few pairs of shoes, but they didn't fit very well anymore, or had worn-away soles. _Come to think of it, _she thought, _almost all of my clothes are worn out or too small... Maybe I should visit Rarity for something new..._

Her thoughts were interrupted when her stomach growled. Loudly. Deciding that she had neither the time nor the motivation to cook, Fluttershy set off to the only restaurant-slash-café in the town that was open this late. It had a good location because it was near the path to her cottage, and after dinner it would take her only half an hour to get home, if she picked up the pace.

She stopped once she saw the open door to the warm, welcoming café, and stepped inside. There were only a few other people in: Applejack, Applebloom and Big Macintosh, who didn't have time to cook after their long workday (and school-day), and were eating hungrily; a couple who took up the table at the window; Lyra and Bonbon near the counter; the guy who sold flowers that she recognised from the marketplace and a waitress she did not know.

Fluttershy chose a seat in a booth two booths down from the Apple siblings, still thinking about Madame Crescent's fortune. _How can I meet myself? _she thought. _That's impossible. Unless...well, unless it's another _version _of me..._ Suddenly, an image of Dusk Shine, Rainbow Blitz, Butterscotch, Bubble Berry, Elusive and Applejack (the male one) flashed through her mind. But that accidental teleportation spell, that stranger-than-strange event, had happened months ago, nearly a year, and she had almost forgotten them—even though she had promised not to. She blushed at the thought of Butterscotch. Now the idea of liking him was silly, really. He was her...that is, she was him. They were technically the same person. How could she fall in love with herself? Did it mean she was a narcissist?

"Good evening, Miss," a female voice said. "May I take your order?"

Fluttershy looked up. The smiling waitress had interrupted her thoughts, and was waiting expectantly for her to order something.

"Oh, I'd like the garden salad and a glass of sparkling water, please," she recited. She had rehearsed it in her head a few times so she wouldn't mess up the actual order. The waitress jotted it down on her pad, nodding as she did so, and then disappeared into the kitchen.

After a few minutes, Fluttershy heard the familiar sound of her ringtone. It was a chorus of cat's meows—very annoying, but still quite catchy. Pinkie Pie had picked it out for her, and Fluttershy had never found out how to change it. She got her pink flip-phone from her purse and answered it. She hated telephone calls, but it was handy for when she was in the garden or forest with the animals, or shopping, or helping with the local vet where she'd managed to get an apprenticeship. She got a few annoyed glances from the guy who sold flowers and the couple by the window – well, the tune _was _very annoying – so she smiled apologetically at them.

"Hello? Fluttershy speaking," she said neatly into the phone.

"Hello, Fluttershy darling," the unmistakable voice of Rarity answered.

"Hi, Rarity," Fluttershy said, relieved to hear her friend on the line and not some creepy stranger. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, actually; I've recently finished five gowns for a client. One more to go." She sounded tired. "I was just wondering if we could all do something fun this weekend. Just the girls. I've already called Twilight and Rainbow Dash, and of course, Pinkie Pie is coming up with an idea for what we should do."

"Oh," Fluttershy replied. She almost sighed tiredly. Something fun to Rarity, like the spa, was torture to the rest, just as something exciting to Twilight, like the Museum of the History of Equestrian Literature, was something boring to Rainbow. This caused problems with get-togethers. But Fluttershy didn't want to discourage her best friend. "Sounds like fun!"

"I've told the girls already," she continued. "I called to tell you that we're meeting tomorrow at Sugarcube Corner. Pass it on to Applejack if you see her, will you? You live the closest to the farm out of all of us. She should really consider getting a phone..."

"All right, I'll do that," Fluttershy promised, searching for the Apple siblings, still stuffing their faces, to make sure Applejack was still there.

"Oh, thank you, darling!"

"You're welcome. Good-bye, Rarity." With that, she hung up and put her phone back. Then she got up and walked hesitantly to Applejack's table.

As she approached, she cleared her throat. The sisters and brother looked up from their food, first in annoyance, then welcomingly because it was only Fluttershy and not the waitress with the bill. Fluttershy stood awkwardly for a moment before she remembered why she was here. The sight was quite distracting—the Apple family was not famous for their table manners. Aside from that, the older brother and sister were quite intimidating, with their tall, muscular frames. Applejack got away with it by being quite pretty and her visible friendliness, but Big Macintosh was so big and tall he could almost scared Fluttershy, if not for his being a gentle, quiet simpleton. Most girls around town found it a shame he was so antisocial, but Fluttershy thought it was a blessing. A tall, muscular, quite handsome, flirty male would frighten her to death.

Fluttershy cleared her throat again. "Um, AJ? May I have a word? If that's all right with you, I mean, I could come back another—"

"Well, howdy, Fluttershy!" Applejack said enthusiastically, and a bit too loudly. She wiped some barbecue sauce from her lip. "Sure ya'll can talk to me! What's up?"

"Well, Rarity just told me over the phone to tell you that she and Pinkie planned something fun for the weekend," she said, tucking a stray lock of pink hair behind her ear. "Just us girls. And that we're meeting at Sugarcube Corner tomorrow afternoon."

"Thanks, Fluttershy," Applejack said, glancing wistfully back at herplate. "Well, see ya tomorrow!" She turned back towards her food, but stopped. "Hey, ya'll are sittin' back there all alone... Ah know! Why don't you sit with us?"

"Oh, no, I don't want to bother you." She smiled apologetically at the trio. She wasn't used to saying no to anyone, especially her friends. But they were busy, and she didn't want to be a bother.

"I insist," Applejack said. "Come on! It's all right with us, ain't it?"

When her siblings remained silent, Applejack leaned over the table, and repeated, "_Ain't it_?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac said, just to please his little sister.

"Fluttershy, come an' sit by me!" Applebloom said excitedly, gesturing at the empty seat of the booth next to her. Fluttershy obediently squeezed herself into the seat next to the little redhead.

The waitress came and put her food on the table—and just in time, too, because Fluttershy had been getting distracted with her hunger. And now, looking at the plate, she wished she had ordered a bigger serving size. But when she took a mouthful and chewed, she quickly realized she didn't want to eat anything. She swallowed rather reluctantly and pulled a face.

"Is that all ya'll are eatin'?" Applebloom asked in shock. "So that's why you're as skinny as a stick! Ya'll don't eat enough!"

"Oh, no," Fluttershy reassured her. "I don't work as hard as you all do. That's why I don't need all that energy." She poked her salad."I'm not that hungry anyway."

"Ya'll sure about that, now?" Applejack asked, concerned for her friend. "If this is one of them diets, we can reassure you ya'll don't need one."

Fluttershy gasped. "Oh, no, no, no! I'm not on a diet. I remember the time Rarity decided to go on one. Oh, I was so worried for her, and I tried to talk her out of it, but..." She trailed off. "I'm sorry; I'm talking too much, aren't I?"

"Nope," Big Mac reassured. But even sitting he was much taller than Fluttershy, making him look intimidating, so the sight of him wasn't very comforting.

"Well, isn't this nice!" Applebloom said in a tone that sounded like a mix between a statement and a question. "We're like a lil' family! Fluttershy could be the mama, and we could be the children!"

Fluttershy choked on her water and set the glass down with a _clunk_. "Oh, um...sure. Of course, Applebloom." She suddenly turned serious and raised one eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be in bed by now, young lady?"

Applebloom shrunk in her seat. "Um, yes ma'am!"

Fluttershy laughed lightly. "I'm joking, Bloom."

The little girl laughed along and then remembered something. "Oh! Fluttershy, when can ya'll babysit me and Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo again?" Applebloom asked.

"Soon, I hope," she said. She turned to Applejack. "May I?"

"'Course you may. Gladly, in fact," the older sister answered. "Next week Saturday Big Mac an' Ah will be goin' to the annual Midnight Market. Would ya'll be willin' to babysit then? Or were you plannin' to go?"

Fluttershy looked horrified at the thought. "Oh, no, never. It's too crowded at Midnight Market. I went last year with you, remember?"

Applejack gave her friend a funny look. "But last year's Market was almost empty. You sure ya'll ain't imaginin' things?"

"No way!" Applebloom called in her defence. "Fluttershy's _way_ too smart for that!"

Fluttershy blushed and gave a small, modest smile. She didn't think of herself as smart. Actually, she didn't think of herself as anything.

Soon the conversation died down, and the four sat awkwardly, eating and drinking to keep themselves occupied.

Fluttershy picked at her salad, her mind trailing back to her previous thoughts: was she a narcissist were they going to meet their gender-bent doubles again? If so, when? And why? Dusk and Twilight had both said that the spell was dangerous and tricky; in other words, a bad idea. She kept her thoughts to herself though, and said nothing to the Apple siblings.

Deciding that it was getting late, Fluttershy excused herself, went to the counter and paid the waitress for the food.

"Thank you for the company," she said when she came back to their booth.

Applejack swallowed a bite of her sandwich and smiled. It was hard to believe they were still eating. "Oh, sugar cube, it was nothin'! Ya'll remember to come by the farm anytime now, 'cause we just finished harvesting some of them red galas ya'll like so much. And we'll be making apple cider soon, too."

Fluttershy nodded as she picked up her purse. "That would be lovely."

"Good night, then, Fluttershy."

"'Night, Fluttershy!" Applebloom smiled.

"Good night, you three," Fluttershy said, returning the smile.

With that, Fluttershy left the café and Applejack turned back towards her plate.

**THIS IS A DIVIDER**

"Strange girl, that Fluttershy," Applejack muttered when the siblings were walking back towards the farm.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said simply, walking next to his sisters, one hand in his pocket and the other holding Applebloom's. His face was facing upwards towards the star-scattered night sky. Applebloom was trailing on the path, dizzy with sleepiness.

"Ah wonder why she's so shy," Applejack went on. "Ah mean, Ah know it's in her name an' all. Maybe it's a nickname of a sort. Maybe from something that happened in her childhood, Ah guess. No parent would name their child that, would they?" She thought about that for a moment before continuing. "And we all love her, so why does she think she's such a bother?"

Big Mac gave no reply to this. Neither 'eeyup' nor 'nope' would be a real answer. Applejack knew he had better things to do than talk about his sister's shy friend. He hardly knew Fluttershy—actually, he hardly knew anybody in Ponyville. He never got out.

"So looks like Ah'm gonna be gone this weekend. Ah will take the morning shift, mind you. And ya know, come to think of it, Big Mac, Ah think you should take some time off as well. Get around. Meet people."

Big Mac gave his sister a funny look. "Hmm?"

"You could use a few friends," Applejack clarified. "Maybe even a special somebody. All ya'll ever do is work, work, work...!"

Her big brother looked horrified at the thought, so Applejack dropped the matter.

"But she's a strange person," Applejack repeated. The shy girl had been acting preoccupied, too; she had noticed that. She wondered why. Trying not to think about the issue too much, since it was none of her business, she said, "Big Mac, Ah'm gonna hafta take tomorrow afternoon off too—an hour, maybe less. Ah'll do all the work on the farm until then and you can take over, all right? We'll work in shifts."

Big Mac nodded, thinking about what his sister had said to him only moments before about him needing friends, a girlfriend or a boyfriend. She was right, of course—most of what occupied his mind was work. And apples. He needed to be social every once in a while. That was what the yearly Apple Family Reunion was good for.

After ten minutes, Applebloom gave in to the sleepiness and she fell asleep, and her brother carried her, with _great_ care, back home.

**THIS IS _ALSO_ A DIVIDER**

Fluttershy, on the way back to her cottage, she was still thinking about her dream and the fortune she had received from Madame Crescent. They had considered letting the boys visit them in their universe, but Twilight had made no effort to contact them, and neither had Dusk. Twilight seemed to have forgotten her 'brother', in fact. Not that Fluttershy blamed her. The wedding of her real brother, Shining Armour, and Princess Cadence had been pretty big, and the whole Crystal Pony thing had happened too, and a lot of things had happened even before those events. Anyway, Twilight and Dusk Shine had both warned their friends that messing with time and space could lead to changing timelines and whole universes, including their's.

Shaking that unwelcome thought from her mind, she walked on. When Fluttershy finally reached the familiar little garden filled with critters, she greeted them them cheerily. She opened the door to her cottage, took off her shoes and jacket, and fed all the animals quickly. Then she changed into her nightgown, brushed her teeth, and got into her bed—but sleep didn't come easily. She tossed and turned, got up, only to forget what she'd gotten up to do, walk around a few times, hesitate, and then go back to bed. An hour or so of lying awake and restless, she finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep, but the sun was already starting to rise.

**Yeah, that's about it so far...don't worry, the title and everything else will make sense soon. I think.**

**And don't worry, readers with a taste for T-rated things: romance, swearing, drinking, and overall T-rated things will come in later chapters that I am literally writing RIGHT AS I WRITE. Um, as I write this, I mean, not as I write that. Yeah.**

**New chapters will be added irregularly. Stay tuned, and please review!  
**

**(Oh, and spoilers: there will be a drunk Fluttershy.)**

**(Don't ya'll just _love_ me.)**


	2. Chapter 2: The Duo Club

**You know what? I'll just copy-paste the old disclaimer. It works just fine.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own MLP: FiM. It and the characters belong to Lauren Faust and Hasbro. My storyline relies quite a bit on 'On a Cross and Arrow' by Conner Cogwork on FIMFiction. You'd understand this better if you read it before this. In fact it would make no sense to you if you did not read it first.**

**Note: This fic has the MLP characters all HUMANIZED, so I don't use terms like 'everypony', 'hoof', 'mane', 'flank', etc. They wear clothes and everything.**

**Slight Fluttermac later on, and hinted Flutterscotch.**

Split Personality

Chapter Two: The Duo Club

The following afternoon, the six girls met at Sugarcube Corner. When everybody was already there, Fluttershy came running up, gasping and apologizing for being late. She had overslept because she had come home so late the night before. When she _did_ finally arrive, Rarity was already ordering drinks, and Pinkie Pie was explaining what they would be doing for their girls' night out.

The smiley girl was blabbering on and on. "…and after the fourth cup, well, you can understand I couldn't sleep at all, so I was awake _all_ night, trying to come up with an idea for something. And then I thought, _I should throw a party!_ So I listed party themes, and I picked the perfect one! It's not going to be a birthday party, or a welcome-back party, or a get-well-soon party, but a _dance party_! So I thought of a time and location and then I looked around the town, and then I saw _this_!" She held up an advertisement poster.

The other girls leaned over the table and stared at it. It held the words 'The Duo Club – Be Yourselves' in big, comic-font writing. Then there was a picture of a boy and a girl who could be twins, and they were dancing along with many others to a song that a DJ was playing in the background.

"So? Watcha think?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Well, apart from the typos on the poster, it seems all right," Twilight said over a cup of tea. "Is it safe?"

"Oh yes, of course," Rarity answered, like it was obvious. (But you can never be too careful with clubs.) "I looked into it and it's only accessible with a valid ID card, you should be of age, if you have a car you should have a license and not drink too much – that's not a rule, though, that's just common sense – which is where the permit for drinking comes in. And there are no dangerous criminals or anything. And all the celebrities think this place is the new must-see hotspot! Maybe we'll even get to meet some!"

"Well, when are we going?" Rainbow asked. "I'd like to show off my moves!" Applejack snorted at that, but covered it up with a loud cough.

"We're going tonight just to give it a look, and to see what we think," Rarity answered. "If we think it's nothing, we won't come back. If we do like it, we'll go again tomorrow."

"All right," Twilight said, but she did not seem enthusiastic. She gave Spike a disapproving look as he looked excited. The young boy was simply too young to come. "And no, Spike, you're not going. I'm sorry, but you're not of age yet." Spike pouted, until Twilight promised him an emerald cupcake when they got back to the library.

"I'll go too, I suppose. If all of you are going." Fluttershy fidgeted. "But, um, I don't mean to be a bother or anything—"

Applejack sighed. "Ya know, this is _exactly_ what I've been thinkin' 'bout yesterday. You're not a bother! We all love ya, sugarcube, and you should have more confidence in yourself."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy squeaked, sinking into her chair. "I didn't mean to—"

"Now hold your horses, Applejack has a point," Rarity stated. "You're beautiful and kind, Fluttershy, but you really should change your attitude. Nobody dislikes your presence! We treasure it, in fact. Be more _out there_! Change your style, wear your hair up—show them that you know you're fabulous!"

"But I—"

"I agree, Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash said. "Being shy is _so_ un-rainbow."

"But then—how?"

"Take therapy."

"Do a course in Braille."

"Buy a bike."

"Do a cartwheel."

"Make a potion."

Fluttershy knit her eyebrows. "But how will any of this help?"

Twilight looked thoughtfully into the distance. "Well, there _might_ be a spell, or potion, to do the trick..."

"Oh, there is?" Fluttershy asked, hopeful. "Could you make one, Twilight? Only if you don't mind, that is—"

"First of all, no, I don't mind," Twilight answered, looking close to annoyed. "Secondly, yes, I could make a special potion like that. They're not my forte, but I guess I could make one that's doable. And then—" she immediately perked up at this "—I'll get to tell Princess Celestia! I'll even write an essay about it! I need to get back to the library—I'll see you tonight!" she hollered over her shoulder as she walked out the door, Spike at her heels, his spiky hair bouncing up and down as he caught up with her.

"Well, I should really get back to the boutique, but I will see you all later when we can go check that place out. Good-bye!" Rarity left as well, strutting through the street with her latest creations: a hat that could practically defy gravity and a pair of boots to go with it. Spike had complimented them six times each before.

As all the friends left, Pinkie got up and ordered a double-chocolate cupcake for herself as a congratulation gift. Another party successfully planned by yours truly.

**4 HOURS LATER:**

The six girls stood at the entrance of the club. It had two bouncers stationed at the doors, and another who checked ID cards. The club itself looked nice enough from the outside: grand purple doors plastered all over with advertisements of that very place; a large, lit-up sign that read 'The Duo Club' and then its slogan 'Be Yourselves' under it in smaller lettering; a red carpet running to the doors that Rarity was all over. It was not stationed in the shady part of town—yet not in the middle of the city. Perfect location.

When they showed their IDs and got inside, their eyes popped open. The place was massive—they could not even see the other side of the room, if it was only one room and not multiple ones. The floor was designed so that every brightly-lit tile you stepped on became a different colour. There was a raised platform two dozen or so meters ahead, and on it was a DJ – Vinyl Scratch, or DJ Pon3 – playing a beat that blasted from boom-boxes stationed at various places. Coloured lights from lamps in the ceiling twirled across the walls. Bright streamers and fairy lights hung all around the place. All around, people where cheering, dancing, laughing, and there were even a few people who weren't from Ponyville—at least, they did not recognise them.

All six of the friends had different reactions. Rainbow Dash loved the movement, the scenery, the beat. Applejack was astonished by what technology could do, and she liked it well enough, but was more interested in trying the cider they sold at the bar and wanted to compare it to the Apple family's cider. Pinkie Pie was right where she belonged. Rarity was busy looking at other people's outfits, and trying to spot anybody famous. Twilight was hardly impressed; this was nothing compared to Canterlot parties—not that she had gone to any, but from what she had heard about them, they were much more impressive. Fluttershy was afraid she'd faint, although a small, teeny-tiny part of her wished that she was a part of the dancing crowd, fearlessly expressing herself in front of hundreds.

Rainbow and Pinkie wanted to dance right there, Rarity wanted to meet everyone (READ: Rarity wanted to find and stalk celebrities), and Applejack was ready to look around, but Twilight and Fluttershy managed to get them outside. They agreed to come back tomorrow and actually party.

"And come to the boutique if you want a make-over, or something to wear," Rarity told her friends as they walked through the near-empty streets of this part of the town.

"And _why_ would we need to do that?" Rainbow asked, horrified at the thought of getting a make-over.

"Well, I want you all to look splendid, of course! Did you see what those other girls were wearing? I have come up with so many ideas I just _have_ to try out! So much inspiration!"

While the girls were chattering on, Applejack was dragging her feet just behind the group, lost in thought.

_Ah bet my brother could use something like this,_ Applejack thought to herself. _He's gotta make some friends, an' havin' a relaxin' weekend won't hurt 'em. It's not really his thing, but he'll come around. We all need a 'lil fun once in a while, after all!_

"Well, it was fun an' all, but Ah have to go now. See y'all tomorrow!" Applejack turned and walked away, Rainbow Dash yawned for the third time and was muttering to herself about her delayed nine o'clock nap, Pinkie Pie was already jumping, still excited, back to Sugarcube Corner, and Rarity was already mentally sketching out ideas for new outfits while hastily making her way to the boutique.

Before Fluttershy could go home like the rest, Twilight pulled her away.

"I've already made a bit of the potion," she told Fluttershy, handing her a metallic bottle that fit into the palm of her hand. "It's really simple—just put ten drops in a glass of water, that should be enough. But not more than twenty. It contains the Commitinem—Zecora gave me a root of it. She has one of those trees in her herb garden, and they're really hard to find. About ten drops help with your shyness and make you more confident and assertive, but more than twenty drops per glass causes mild confusion, dizziness, minor and major mood swings, and urges to do spontaneous things. Any side-effects will pass eventually. It's just because your body is not used to it, and your mind has to adapt to it, too. But don't worry. It's not dangerous, and nothing will happen. I guarantee you."

"Oh, thank you, Twilight," Fluttershy said gratefully, putting the bottle into her pocket. She hadn't heard half of what Twilight had said because she had been talking so fast.

"Take a glass of water with that every morning for one week," Twilight instructed. "Start doing it tomorrow, and then we'll see if it works." She turned to walk away, but Fluttershy stopped her.

"Wait, Twilight! I was just wondering... Have you heard anything from...um...Dusk Shine and the others?"

Twilight stopped in her tracks, turned on her heel and looked her friend in the eye. She shook her head sadly. "No... I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I haven't contacted Dusk Shine since...well; I haven't contacted him at all, actually." She met her friend's eyes. "Why?"

Fluttershy hesitated and stuttered, "I, just...just... No, it's nothing. I just had a strange dream about them."

Twilight looked surprised, but intrigued. "Oh. I wonder what that means... Do you want me to look up the psychological reasons behind dre—?"

"Oh, no, thank you, Twi. It's nothing, really. You don't need to go into it. It was just a...silly little dream," Fluttershy lied.

Twilight looked unconvinced, but dropped the matter. "All right."

Then she bid her good-bye and went back to the library. The Princess would be pleased to hear that she had successfully accomplished something entirely out of her comfort circle. Now if she could just write a twelve-page essay about the origin of potion-making, and how it had become popular after the time of Star Swirl the Bearded...

Fluttershy went back to her cottage, lost in thought. So the boys from the other dimension were, for all she knew, leading their normal lives again. She blushed. Did Buttescotch ever think of her?...oh, unlikely. But that was fine. What she really wanted to think about now was the potion. She wanted to try it out right away, but Twilight had told her to do it tomorrow. And do it tomorrow she would.

**THIS IS ANOTHER DIVIDER**

The following morning, Fluttershy woke up bright and early, thanks to her alarm, which she remembered to set. It was a soft chiming sound, not a buzzer, but Fluttershy was a light sleeper and at least it didn't startle her when she woke up. She went outside first thing—it was a beautiful day, unlike yesterday and the day before that, and the sun was shining. She fed the animals, which took an hour, and then prepared a small breakfast for herself.

When she was done, she took a glass and filled it with water. What had Twilight said? She tried to remember...

Oh, right. Ten drops. Not more than twenty. She took the metal bottle from her jacket pocket and a dropper, and counted the drops as the indigo potion dissolved in the water, turning it a clear blue liquid. _Eight...nine...ten. _It smelled of eucalyptus, something like alcohol, and a strong, ginger-like scent.

She hesitated. The water looked innocent enough...

Before she could change her mind she took the glass and took a sip. It tasted normal, like pure water. She drained the glass of its contents. Then, not even a second after she had drunk the potion, something took over her and she swung her arm in a fast motion and threw the glass on the ground. It shattered right next to her bare feet. A few squirrels she cared for that had been sitting on the table made wild, high pitched chattering noises and scattered.

Fluttershy came to her senses and examined the mess on the floor. "Oh my..." Quickly she took a few steps back, but it was too late; she'd stood in the shards, and now small drops of crimson stained the wooden floor of her living room.

Fluttershy bent over to clean it up, but again, something seemed to take over her, and she changed her mind, and went upstairs to her room, and then to her closet, for no particular reason.

Oh, no, that's right—she needed another pair of shoes. She opened the closet door, and—

Oh, bother...just as she'd thought. She only had uncomfortable high-heeled shoes, flip-flops, and fur boots, all quite inappropriate for this weather.

The reason for those shoes was simple. Her closet contained years' worth of clothes that were gifts, stupid decisions, or that friends (meaning Rarity) had made her buy. There was that top with the sequins, and the blue skirt with the ribbon, and the burgundy evening dress with frills...the list went on and on.

Without a goal in mind, she shuffled around the corner of the closet she never visited. And she found it. The thing she had fallen in love with in her last year of high school: a plain dress that came just above the knees with cute, puffed sleeves that only came a bit over her shoulders. Fluttershy put it on and examined her reflection in the full-view mirror on the opposite side of the room. The dress, as a whole, looked nice. It was a deep turquoise that complimented her eyes, which was a pro, but the skirt was a bit too short and it clashed horribly with her hair, which was a con. Rarity had taught her to rate clothing this way. What else?...It was quite tight around chest and waist area; then again, it had been years ago since she'd bought this. Normally she would feel embarrassed in such clothes. She was relieved that her lower thighs were not exposed, so her Cutie Mark was concealed. (It was located high on her left thigh.) Her shoes were a gift from Rarity for Christmas – she would _never_ buy shoes like these – and were high-heeled, too high for her usual liking. She was now happy that Rarity had been her Secret Santa.

Fluttershy had never worn such an outfit before. After some hesitation, she smiled charmingly at her reflection. She looked good. This coming from a usually insecure, anti-social, incredibly shy girl, she could honestly say that for that moment, she felt pretty, even if it was only a dress and some shoes.

She looked in the mirror again.

Yeah, she looked good.

**Hey guys, SORRY I haven't updated...but I was sorta stuck in the good ole' Dutch village of 't Harde, where there is absolutely NOTHING to do.**

**So now, updates will be irregular until I get home, because the wifi here is slow...and, ahum, expensive.**

**Thanks for reading, and please review!**


	3. NOTICE

Hey guys!

Thanks for the support I've gotten on this story, but I've lost my inspiration and am probably going to leave it hanging for a while. I can't say when I'll pick it up again.

Sorry about this,

IbtiWiptyWoo


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